Bag with box-like top closure



June 3, T969 CANNQ ETAL 3,447,736.

BAG WITH BOX-LIKE TOP CLOSURE Filed Dec. 18, 1967 INVENTORS M W B \AM\A.R GAIN ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent US. Cl. 22954 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This specification discloses a container similar to a folding box for garments but made with paper instead of stiff boards, having only parts of the structure stiffened with paperboard or heavy paper bonded to the upper portion of the front and back panels of the bag, and as a reinforcing or stiffening to the bottom if desired. The parts of the container to which the stiffening panels are connected fold over one another to form a closed top with the pliant paper sides of the container folded in between the overlapping stiffening panels. The upper end of the container, when closed, provides a folding box construction. A handle inserted through cuts such as holes or slits in the under panel pulls into slits in the panel that grip the cord; and the handle is inserted through a slit in the upper panel to hold the container closed. Corners at the ends of the upper panel are scored and preferably made more flexible by slotting so that they fold inward to make a neater package.

Background of the invention This invention is an improvement is a known type of folding container. The type is disclosed in US. Patent No. 2,836,344. The problem encountered in making such box-like containers is to have a construction which is inexpensive to manufacture and which folds neatly. The latter is important because the folded top of the container is the most conspicuous part when the container is being carried by its handle; and since one purpose of the top closing is to prevent rain and airborne dirt and dust from getting into the container, the folds should be close enough to provide a rain-proof closure. The construction of this invention is an improvement on earlier box-like bags or containers both in the cost and in the effectiveness and neatness of the folding of the top.

Summary of the invention This invention, which is concerned with containers and more particularly with a box-like bag with carry handles and upper ends for closing the bag, provides an improved construction for the stiffening panels that are bonded to the upper ends of the front and back panels of the bag. Originally the bag is folded flat like any conventional bag, such as a self-opening bag. When opened up, the bag is of rectangular cross section, usually with broad front and back panels and narrower side panels, all of which extend for the full height of the bag.

To obtain a box-like closure at the top of the bag, stiffening panels are bonded to the upper ends of the front and back panels for a height equal to the fore-andaft depth of the bag. These stiffening panels extend for substantially the full width of the bag. The sides of the bag are left pliant for folding in between the stiffened front and back panels as the bag is closed.

If both of the stiffening panels extend for the full width of the bag throughout the entire height of both stiffening panels, it is difficult to obtain a neat package because the ends of the back panel can not be folded inward as the back panel is folded down over the front "ice panel. If the stiffening panels were made light enough to permit folding, then they would not be stiff enough to use with a center carrying handle.

One proposed solution to the interference of the stiffening panel with the folding of the sides is that proposed by Patent No. 2,836,344, previously referred to, where the corners of the upper stiffening panel are cut off. Good results are obtained by that expedient if the person closing the bag is skillful enough to correctly fold the pliant portions of the paper at the sides of the bag and beyond the cut-off corners of the upper stiffening panel.

This invention provides an improved construction for the upper stiffening panel. The panel extends across substantially the full width of the back panel but it has diagonal lines along which it is scored, and preferably slotted also to obtain hinging of triangular areas of the stiffening panel. This not only permits the top to be folded, as in US. Patent No. 2,836,344, but it has the important advantage of forcing the triangular areas of the paper of the back panel to fold inward to the proper extent and it ordinarily determines the transverse fold line for the back of the side portion of the bag which must be folded in. These stiffened triangular areas at both ends of the top panel also facilitate the folding of the sides of the bag along the diagonal fold lines which extend from the top connection of the sides to the triangular portions and across the sides to the points at which the sides meet the front ends of the stiffening panel at the front of the bag.

Another improvement provided by this invention is in the construction by which the bag is held closed and by which it is carried. A carry handle made of cord or other pliant material, has enlarged ends which are preferably formed by knots in the cord. These knots are representative of elements on the end portions of the handle of larger cross section than the rest of the handle, and for some constructions rings or staples or other special. fastenings can be placed on the end portions of the cords in place of the knots.

The knots fit through openings in the stiffening panel at the front of the bag and pull into slits which grip the handle tightly and which are too small to permit the knots to pull out of the panel. When the box is folded, the handle is pushed through a slit in the back stiffening panel and this slit holds the handle firmly so that the bag is held tightly locked because of the relationship between the cuts made on the first fold and the slit in the second fold by the grip of the sides of the slit on the handle.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will appear or be pointed out as the description proceeds.

Brief description of the drawing In the drawing, forming a part hereof, in which like reference characters indicate corresponding parts in all the views:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic view of a bag made in accordance with this invention and showing the bag in open condition;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary view of the top of the bag shown in FIGURE 1 with the upper portion of the front panel folded in accordance with the first step of closing the bag;

FIGURE 3 is a view similar to FIGURE 2 but with the side walls and the triangular ends of the back panel folded down in the second step for closing the bag;

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURES 2 and 3 but showing the bag fully closed; and

FIGURE 5 is a greatly enlarged sectional view taken on the section line 5-5 of FIGURE 4.

Description of preferred embodiment FIGURE 1 shows a bag 10 having a front panel 12,

a back panel 14 and side panels 16 and 18. The bag has a bottom 20.

The front, back and side panels, and the bottom, are preferably of one piece construction. The construction shown in the drawing is one in which the bag is made by folding a web lengthwise of the width of the bag so that the front, side and overlapping seams of the bag constitute the width of the web, and the bag is formed with two lap seams 22. This is a known type of bag and one to which the present invention can be easily applied during manufacture; but the invention can be used on more conventional bags formed by folding a web along a line extending in the direction of the height of the bag so that the finished bag has only one longitudinal seam.

The bag 10 is preferably made of paper. The weight of the paper depends upon the size of the bag and the service for which it is intended. It can, however, be somewhat lighter than conventional shopping bags because of the way in which the upper end of the bag is strengthened by stiffening panels, and the way in which the load on the bag is transmitted to the carrying handle. Pliant materials other than paper can be used, if desired.

A stiffening panel 26 is bonded to the upper portion of the front face 12 for a distance equal to the fore-andaft depth of the open bag, this depth being indicated by the dimension D in FIGURE 1. The upper end of the stiffening panel 26 is preferably even with the upper edge 28 of the bag front 12. The lower end of the front stiffening panel 26 is indicated by the dotted line 30. There is another stiffening panel 32 secured to the back panel 14 and best shown in FIGURE 2. This stiffening panel 32 is preferably of substantially the same height as the stiffening panel 26, and it extends from the top of the back 14 to a line indicated by the reference character 34. Both of the stiffening panels 26 and 32 are P eferably bonded to the paper of the front 12 and back 14, respectively, by adhesive and, if desired, the adhesive can be a plastic coating which bonds by heat. It is preferable to have the stiffening panels 26 and 32 on the inside of the bag.

There are two openings 38 through the stiffening panel 26 and the overlying portion of the bag front 12. These openings 38 are spaced from one another for a substantial distance width-wise of the bag and symmetrically about the center of the bag. A handle 40 is formed of a piece of pliant cord 42 having a knot 44 at each end. The knots are small enough to pass through the openings 38 from outside the bag.

A slit 46 extends for a short distance from each opening 38 in a direction toward the other opening 38. The cord 42 is pulled into the slits 46. Because of the thickness of the cord 42, the sides of the slits 46 are displaced from one another but the stiffness of the panel 26 causes the sides of the slits 38 to tightly grip the cord 42 so that it can not move back along the slits 46 to the openings 38. Since the knots 44 are substantially wider than the cord 42, these knots can not pull through the slits 46 and the knots provide means for lifting the bag when the top is folded closed in a manner which will be explained.

The back stiifening panel 32 has diagonal score lines 50, each of which extends from a location adjacent to a bottom corner of the panel 32 and at an angle of approximately to the line 34. Thus the score lines 50 diverge from one another at an included angle of substantially 90 as they extend from the top edge of the bag. In order to obtain greater flexibility at the score line 50', there are preferably slots 52 along portions of the score line 50. The score lines 50 extend to the top edge of the panel 32 and thus provide triangular areas 54, at both ends of the panel 32, attached to the main portion of the panel 32 at the score lines 50 which serve as hinges for the triangular areas 54.

There is a slit 56 in the panel 32 and the portion of the back of the bag which overlies this panel 32. The ends of the slit 56 are located in position to register with the ends of the slits 46 so that the handle 40 can be inserted 4 through the slit 56 when the panel 32 is folded down over the panel 26. The length of the slit 56 is approximately equal to the spacing of the slits 46 from one another so that the ends of the slit 46 prevent the ends of the handle from moving apart and back into the openings 38.

FIGURE 2 shows the first step in closing the bag. The stiffening panel 26, and the portion of the front 12 which overlies it, are folded along the line 30 into a horizontal position. This causes the sides 16 and 18 to fold along lines 60 which extend from the fold line 30 to the top edge of the back of the bag. Since the height of the top edge above the line 30 is equal to the fore-and-aft depth D of the bag, as previously explained, the lines 60 extend at substantially 45.

FIGURE 3 shows the second step in the closing of the bag. The triangular areas 54 are folded inward along the score lines 50. This causes the sides of the bag below the diagonal lines 60 of FIGURE 2 to fold inwardly along fold lines 62, as shown in FIGURE 3. Because of the stiffness of the triangular areas 54, these pliant side portions of the bag are pulled down over the end edges of the already folded panel 26 to provide a neat fold without any skill on the part of the person using the bag.

The handle 40 is then inserted through the slit 56, as indicated in dotted lines in FIGURE 3. If the handle 40 is short, the back reinforcing panel 32 can be bent forwardly to some extent along the line 34 to bring the slit 56 into position to receive the handle 40.

FIGURE 4 shows the final step in closing the bag. The back panel 32 and its overlying area of the back of the bag, is folded downward along the hinge line 34 until the panel 32 is resting firmly on the panel 26 and on the inwardly folded portions of the sides of the bag. The handle 40 is pulled up as far as possible. This pulls the panel 26 upward into firm contact with the panel 32 and holds the inwardly folded portions of the sides of the bag neatly clamped between the stiffening panels.

The handle 40 causes a substantial distortion of the sides of the slit 56 from one another and displaces these sides of the slit upwardly, as shown in FIGURE 5. This causes the distorted edges of the slit 56 to dig into the surfaces of the handle 40 with a toggle-like pressure which resists any downward movement of the handle 40; and this provides an effective lock for holding the bag closed.

It is possible to open the bag by manually pulling the panel 26 upward with such force that the edges of the slit 56 are forced to yield, but no such force is encountered when carrying the bag. Thus the slit 56 provides an inexpensive and etfective means for locking the bag closed; and provides a means which is reusable.

The preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, and it is defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a box-like bag with carry handle, and having a bottom and front, back and sides made of flexible sheet material and extending upward from the bottom, the upper portion of both the front and back having a bagclosing panel which extends downward from the top of the bag for a distance substantially equal to the fore and aft dimension of the sides of the bag, said closing panels being connected at their opposite ends with the sides of the bag, and a stiffening panel bonded to each closing panel, the improvement which comprises both stitfening panels being of substantially the same transverse width as the front and back closure panels throughout the full height of said stiffening panels, the back stiffening panel having triangular areas at its opposite sides joined to the remainder of the stiffening panel along score lines that diverge from one another at an included angle of substantially as they extend from the top edge of the bag to locations adjacent to the juncture of the lower end of the bag closure panel and the sides of the bag, the score lines of the triangular areas providing hinge lines on which the triangular areas fold inwardly under said remainder of the back stiffening panel to force the sides of the bag inward between the front and back closure panels and to compel folding of the sides along edges of the triangular areas and at locations to produce a smooth folding of the sides as the front and back closure panels are folded down into horizontal positions with the back closure panel overlapping the front closure panel, and a flexible handle attached to the front closure panel and extending through the back closure panel.

2. The bag described in claim 1 characterized by the hinge lines being incised through the stiffening panel along part of their length to increase the flexibility of the connections of the triangular areas to the remainder of the stiffening panel.

3. The bag described in claim 2 characterized by the flexible sheet material of the bag closure panel being imperforate across the hinge lines.

4. The bag described in claim 2 characterized by the incised part of the hinge lines being slots along at least a part of their length with material of the stiffening panel removed from the slot whereby the triangular areas can fold back more freely against the underside of the remainder of the stiffening panel.

5. The bag described in claim 1 characterized by a slit in the back closure panel through which the handle is insertable, the handle-receiving slit being of original uniform width throughout its full length with no material removed from within the slit, and the back closure panel being held down on the front closure panel with a toggle-gripping efiect produced by distortion of the handle receiving slit when the handle is pulled up through the slit with the closure panels in folded condition.

6. The bag described in claim 5 characterized by the handle being made of soft material which is compressed by the toggle-gripping effect of the edges of the slit, which edges compress the handle locally and dig into the handle to lock it against reverse movement back out of the slit.

7. The bag described in claim 1 characterized by the handle being a flexible line with elements on the end portions of the handle of larger cross section than the rest of the handle, the front closure panel having openings spaced transversely of the bag and large enough for said elements to pass through the front closure panel, and slits in the front closure panel narrower than the elements on the end portions of the handle and connecting with the openings and into which the portions of the handle above said elements are pulled and a slit in the back closure portion immediately above the slits in the front portion and through which the handle is inserted to hold the front and back closure panels in folded condition.

8. The bag described in claim 7 characterized by the handle being a soft cord and the enlarged ends of the handle being knots in the cord.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,699,008 1/1929 Miller 22931 2,836,344 5/1958 Gatward 229-54 2,992,768 7/1961 Gatward 229-52 FOREIGN PATENTS 996,098 6/ 1965 Great Britain.

DAVID M. BOCKENEK, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 229-52, 63 

